Sub-temperate Region Research Articles

Indigenous chicken production system in different agro-ecology of Indian Himalayan Region: implication on food and economic security.

The indigenous chicken production system (ICPS) has several use values and ecosystem services. In the last few years, ICPS has been recognized for its possible contribution to household food security, income generation, wildlife protection, and bettering the women's lives. This study aimed to collect, for the first time, comprehensive information about ICPS in three different agro-ecologies (tropical, sub-tropical, and sub-temperate) of the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) and its role in food and economic security of traditional communities. In this study region, ICPS is semi-extensive, providing homegrown feed and temporary night shelter. In sub-temperate agro-ecology, females owned non-significant (p = 0.170) more indigenous chicken flocks than males. Households in sub-temperate agro-ecologies had significantly (p ≤ 0.001) larger flock sizes and tropical livestock units (chicken-TLU). However, the livestock diversity index (LDI) was significantly higher (p ≤ 0.001) in tropical and subtropical agro-ecology. The households in the sub-temperate region highly (p ≤ 0.001) valued indigenous chicken because of its survivability and adaptability. In absolute numbers significant (p ≤ 0.001) higher numbers of adult birds died in past 1 year in sub-temperate agro-ecology. The mortality rate of adult birds in sub-temperate agro-ecology was 9%, and it was 14 and 15% in tropical and sub-tropical agro-ecologies, respectively. In sub-temperate agro-ecology, larger flock size translated into significantly higher (p ≤ 0.001) egg production and subsequently a significant (p ≤ 0.001) higher egg consumption per household per month. In sub-temperate agro-ecology, households' dietary diversity score was significantly (p ≤ 0.001) higher. Similarly, the average annual income from ICPS was significantly higher (p ≤ 0.001) in sub-temperate agro-ecology and accounted for 18% of household income. ICPS' marketing chain was relatively short in the sub-temperate region. In all agro-ecologies, indigenous chicken and egg demand was significantly higher (p ≤ 0.001) in the winter. ICPS litter is used as farmyard manure, enhancing ecological resilience. In all agro-ecologies, the three most frequently cited obstacles to extending the indigenous chicken production system are illnesses, predators, and a lack of chicks availability. ICPS contributes to food and nutritional security, economic stability, and ecological resilience in this hilly and fragile ecosystem. Even though the system is self-sustaining, management and health interventions can increase production and productivity.

Effect of natural farming on yield performances, soil health and nutrient uptake in wheat + gram inter cropping system in sub-temperate regions of Himachal Pradesh

Effect of natural farming on yield performances, soil health and nutrient uptake in wheat + gram inter cropping system in sub-temperate regions of Himachal Pradesh

Comparison of recent rainfall trend in complex hilly terrain of sub-temperate region of Uttarakhand

Agriculture in hill and mountain ecosystem is predominantly rainfed with common occurrence of moisture stress. Due to erratic rainfall and adverse topology in the Indian Himalaya Region (IHR), agricultural drought has become a prime concern. It is a natural disaster which evolves in time and their impacts generally last a long period of time. The present study attempts to characterize annual, seasonal and monthly temporal trend and rainfall pattern of 56 years long-term (1964-2019) and post-urbanization or recent (1980-2019) period using meteorological data of ICARVPKAS, Experimental Farm Hawalbagh, Almoraand Headquarter office, Almora observatory located in mid-Himalayan region of Uttarakhand state of India. Man-Kendall (α≤ 0.05; α≤ 0.10) test, Sen.’s slope and rainfall anomaly index (RAI) were employed for detecting trend, changes in magnitude of rainfall and identifying rainfall deficit year, respectively. The statistically significant (α≤ 0.05) decreasing trend was found during post-urbanization (1980-2019) with Sen.'s slope for pre-monsoon season (-2.38 mm/year) and annual rainfall (-7.26 mm/year) for Hawalbagh, while cold winter season shows statistically significant deceasing trend with Sen.'s slope (-2.00 mm/year) at Headquarter office, Almora. The decreasing trend in monsoon season (statistically significant at α≤ 0.10) was found during (1964-2019). However, both the station showed decreasing rainfall trend for pre-monsoon, post-monsoon, cold winter season and annual season. Results revealed that RAI analysis frequency of drought year was increasing in last 10 years.

A SYSTEMATIC STUDY OF COMMELINACEAE OF BIHAR AND JHARKHAND STATES, INDIA

The members of the family Commelinaceae are commonly distributed in the tropical and sub-temperate regions of the world. The present study reveals that 25 species under 7 genera of the family Commelinaceae are distributed in Bihar and Jharkhand states. The dominant genera are Commelina, Murdannia and Cyanotis. Out of 26 taxa, 16 are common, one is rare and one is endemic. Few species are ethnobotanically important and some are ornamental garden plants. The updated nomenclature of each species, local names (if any), phonological data, distribution in the states, ecological status, local uses (if any) are also provided herewith.

Correction to ‘Ice sheet flow with thermally activated sliding. Part 2: the stability of subtemperate regions’

You have accessMoreSectionsView PDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail Cite this article Mantelli Elisa and Schoof Christian 2021Correction to ‘Ice sheet flow with thermally activated sliding. Part 2: the stability of subtemperate regions’Proc. R. Soc. A.4772021046320210463http://doi.org/10.1098/rspa.2021.0463SectionSupplemental MaterialYou have accessCorrectionCorrection to ‘Ice sheet flow with thermally activated sliding. Part 2: the stability of subtemperate regions’ Elisa Mantelli Elisa Mantelli http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5096-7998 Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for more papers by this author and Christian Schoof Christian Schoof http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7532-2296 Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for more papers by this author Elisa Mantelli Elisa Mantelli http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5096-7998 Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for more papers by this author and Christian Schoof Christian Schoof http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7532-2296 Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for more papers by this author Published:07 July 2021https://doi.org/10.1098/rspa.2021.0463This article corrects the followingResearch ArticleIce sheet flow with thermally activated sliding. Part 2: the stability of subtemperate regionshttps://doi.org/10.1098/rspa.2019.0411 E. Mantelli and C. Schoof volume 475issue 2231Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences20 November 2019Proc. R. Soc. A475, 20190411. (Published 20 November 2019) (doi:10.1098/rspa.2019.0411)Sections 3 and 4. The statement above equation (3.4) on page 12, namely that we assume ‘the distinguished limit δ ∼ ε1/2’ is incorrect. Instead, the boundary layer model equation (3.5a,b) assumes Peδ = 1, with Peδ = Pe δ2ε−1. Analogously, the model in §4a (equation (4.6a)), figures 4–7 as well as the formula (4.16), all assume Peδ = 1. A more general version of the model that treats Peδ as a distinguished limit can be found in the electronic supplementary material, §2.3. Previous Article VIEW FULL TEXT DOWNLOAD PDF FiguresRelatedReferencesDetailsRelated articlesIce sheet flow with thermally activated sliding. Part 2: the stability of subtemperate regions20 November 2019Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences This IssueJuly 2021Volume 477Issue 2251 Article InformationDOI:https://doi.org/10.1098/rspa.2021.0463Published by:Royal SocietyOnline ISSN:1471-2946History: Published online07/07/2021Published in print28/07/2021 License:© 2021 The Author(s)Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved. Citations and impact Subjectsfluid mechanicsglaciology

Ice sheet flow with thermally activated sliding. Part 2: the stability of subtemperate regions.

The onset of sliding in ice sheets may not take the form of a sharp boundary between regions at the melting point, in which sliding is permitted, and regions below that temperature, in which there is no slip. Such a hard switch leads to the paradox of the bed naturally wanting to refreeze as soon as sliding has commenced. A potential alternative structure is a region of subtemperate sliding. Here temperatures are marginally below the melting point and sliding velocities slower than they would if the bed was fully temperate. Rather than being controlled by a standard sliding law, sliding velocities are then constrained by the need to maintain energy balance. This thermal structure arises in temperature-dependent sliding laws in the limit of strong sensitivity to temperature. Here, we analyse the stability of such subtemperate regions, showing that they are subject to a set of instabilities that occur at all length scales between ice thickness and ice sheet length. The fate of these instabilities is to cause the formation of patches of frozen bed, raising the possibility of highly complicated cold-to-temperate transitions with spatial structures at short length scales that cannot be resolved in large-scale ice sheet simulation codes.

Ice sheet flow with thermally activated sliding. Part 1: the role of advection.

Flow organization into systems of fast-moving ice streams is a well-known feature of ice sheets. Fast motion is frequently the result of sliding at the base of the ice sheet. Here, we consider how this basal sliding is first initiated as the result of changes in bed temperature. We show that an abrupt sliding onset at the melting point, with no sliding possible below that temperature, leads to rapid drawdown of cold ice and refreezing as the result of the increased temperature gradient within the ice, and demonstrate that this result holds regardless of the mechanical model used to describe the flow of ice. Using this as a motivation, we then consider the possibility of a region of 'subtemperate sliding' in which sliding at reduced velocities occurs in a narrow range of temperatures just below the melting point. We confirm that this prevents the rapid drawdown of ice and refreezing of the bed, and construct a simple numerical method for computing steady-state ice sheet profiles that include a subtemperate region. The stability of such an ice sheet is analysed in a companion paper.

Average daily gain and kleiber ratio in Bharat merino sheep

To investigate the effect of non-genetic factors on average daily gain (ADG) and Kleiber ratio (KR) and to estimate their genetic parameters in Bharat Merino flock, a study was conducted using records of 6931 animals (from 1986 to 2015) maintained in semi-arid region at ICAR-Central Sheep and Wool Research Institute, Avikanagar (Rajasthan) and in sub-temperate region at Southern Regional Research Centre, Mannavanur (Tamil Nadu). The overall least squares means of ADG from 0–3M (ADG1), 3–6M (ADG2) and 6–12M (ADG3) were 158.19±0.53, 68.91±0.55 and 40.95±0.44 g, respectively. Kleiber ratios from 0–3M (3WTKR) and 3–6 months (6WTKR) were 17.97±0.02 and 6.19±0.04, respectively. Location, year, season and sex of birth had significant effect (P<0.01) on all the traits. The effect of ewe's weight was significant (P<0.01) on ADG1, 3WTKR and 6WTKR. The heritability estimates for ADGs and corresponding KRs ranged from 0.14 to 0.18. The estimates of genetic and phenotypic correlations among the traits ranged between-0.28 (ADG2 and ADG3) to 0.96 (ADG2 and 6WTKR) and-0.31 (ADG1 and 6WTKR) to 0.95 (ADG2 and 6WTKR) respectively. Selection for any of the studied traits of Bharat, Merino sheep would be expected to have a large effect on the other growth traits as a result of their moderately positive genetic correlations.

Evaluation of apple cultivars under sub-temperate mid hill conditions of Himachal Pradesh

The evaluation of 15 apple cultivars was carried out at Progeny cum Demonstration Orchard, Kwagdhar, district Sirmaur, under sub-temperate region of Himachal Pradesh during 2010 and 2011. The maximum tree height (3.29 cm), tree spread (1.82 m) were recorded in ‘Fuji Kiku’, whereas, tree volume (8.34 m3), scion girth (30.25 cm), annual shoot growth (39.97 cm) and leaf area (38.77 cm2) in ‘Gala Mischala’. The highest fruit set, yield and productivity were recorded (69.07%, 9.68 kg/tree and 24.21 t/ha, respectively) in ‘Oregon Spur-II’. The bigger size fruits in terms of length (59.67 cm), breadth (67.12 cm), and ascorbic acid content (56.37 mg/100 g) were found in ‘Red Chief’, while, maximum fruit weight (155.6 g) was observed in Silver Spur. The highest TSS (15.95%) was recorded in ‘Gale Gala’, whereas, more acidic (0.90%) fruits were found in ‘Breaburn’. The maximum total sugars (11.94%) were found in ‘Sansa’ and highest reducing sugars (6.56%) were found in Oregon Spur II. The best fruit shape and surface colour was observed in ‘Super Chief” and ‘Camspur’. The longer duration of flowering (16 days) were recorded in cultivar Sun Fuji and Silver Spur. The cultivar ‘Super Chief’ registered maximum spur density (10.80/cm2), and lowest fruit drop (18.09%), whereas, ‘Fuji Kiku’ and ‘Gale Gala’ recorded the least spur density (2.56 and 3.19/cm2, respectively). The cultivar Pink Lady was earliest to flower whereas; ‘Red Fuji’ was last to harvest. From the present investigations it may be concluded that ‘Red Chief’, ‘Super Chief’, ‘Oregon Spur II’ and ‘Camspur’ in Delicious group, ‘Gala Mischala’ in Gala group, and ‘Auvil Early Fuji’ and ‘Sun Fuji’ in Fuji group have good yield potential, earliness and better fruit quality within their respective groups and may be recommended for cultivation in sub-temperate conditions of Himachal Pradesh.

Thevetia peruviana

Thevetia peruviana, a poisonous shrub of the Apocynaceae family, is commonly called bastard oleander, exile oleander, tiger apple, and lucky nut. The attractive yellow flower is the reason this plant is cultivated to beautify landscapes in the tropics and subtemperate regions. The toxic glycosides contained in the plant, highly concentrated in the roots and seeds, produce digoxin-like effects and act primarily by inhibiting the Na+-K+ ATPase enzyme in the cardiovascular system. Although this plant is popularly found in the Indian subcontinent, poisoning is chiefly reported from India and Sri Lanka.1Eddleston M. Ariaratnam C.A. Meyer W.P. et al.Epidemic of self-poisoning with seeds of the yellow oleander tree (Thevetia peruviana) in northern Sri Lanka.Trop Med Int Health. 1999; 4: 266-273Crossref PubMed Scopus (99) Google Scholar, 2Puvaneswaralingam S. Yellow oleander poisoning and suicide in Sri Lanka.Scott Univ Med J. 2012; 1 (Available from: http://sumj.dundee.ac.uk/data/uploads/epub-article/002-sumj.epub.pdf. Accessed August 4, 2015): 02Google Scholar, 3Bose T.K. Basu R.K. Biswas B. De J.N. Majumdar B.C. Datta S. Cardiovascular effects of yellow oleander ingestion.J Indian Med Assoc. 1999; 97: 407-410PubMed Google Scholar, 4Saraswat D.K. Garg P.K. Saraswat M. Rare poisoning with cerebra thevetia (yellow oleander). Review of 13 cases of suicidal attempt.J Assoc Physicians India. 1992; 40: 628-629PubMed Google Scholar Accidental poisoning occurs in children who mistakenly consume the fruit either in confusion for water chestnut or out of curiosity.4Saraswat D.K. Garg P.K. Saraswat M. Rare poisoning with cerebra thevetia (yellow oleander). Review of 13 cases of suicidal attempt.J Assoc Physicians India. 1992; 40: 628-629PubMed Google Scholar, 5Camphausen C. Haas N.A. Mattke A.C. Successful treatment of oleander intoxication (cardiac glycosides) with digoxin-specific Fab antibody fragments in a 7-year-old child: case report and review of literature.Z Kardiol. 2005; 94: 817-823Crossref PubMed Scopus (28) Google Scholar Mixing the dried plant parts in herbal tea has also resulted in accidental poisoning in adults.6Driggers D.A. Solbrig R. Steiner J.F. Swedberg J. Jewell G.S. Acute oleander poisoning—a suicide attempt in a geriatric patient.West J Med. 1989; 151: 660-662PubMed Google Scholar The entire plant is poisonous, and suicidal and homicidal poisoning is frequently reported with ingestion of its kernels and leaves. Knowledge of its toxicity among the locals has increased poisoning incidences from this plant, which has no specific antidote; however, it may be treated with a Fab-specific antibody in conjunction with gastric lavage using activated charcoal.5Camphausen C. Haas N.A. Mattke A.C. Successful treatment of oleander intoxication (cardiac glycosides) with digoxin-specific Fab antibody fragments in a 7-year-old child: case report and review of literature.Z Kardiol. 2005; 94: 817-823Crossref PubMed Scopus (28) Google Scholar

Studies on growth, yield and physico-chemical characteristics of some peach cultivars under mid-hill conditions of Himachal Pradesh

Present investigation was carried out on peach new introductions, namely, ‘Glohaven’, ‘Suncrest’, ‘Early Elberta’ and ‘July Elberta’ during 2010 and 2011 and suitability of these introductions under sub-temperate regions of Himachal Pradesh was studied. The maximum scion girth (39.93 cm) in ‘July Elberta’, shoot length (84.77 cm) in ‘Glohaven’ and leaf area (54.09 cm2) in ‘Early Elberta’ were recorded. The highest yield (38.02 kg/tree) was observed in ‘Early Elberta’. However, the better quality fruits with respect to highest TSS, acidity, reducing sugars and ascorbic acid content were produced by ‘Glohaven’.

Harvesting regimes to optimize yield and quality in annual and perennial Stevia rebaudiana under sub-temperate conditions

Uses of the perennial crops have been proven to increase the sustainability in agriculture. However, information about the relative efficiency of annual versus perennial stevia (Stevia rebaudiana) under different harvest regimes is unknown in the sub-temperate region of western Himalaya in India. The harvesting time of stevia is generally controlled by growth behavior and accumulation pattern of the steviol glycosides (SGs). Our objectives were to standardize the harvesting regimes in both the cropping modes for higher yield and quality of stevia leaf. Thus a field experiment with six treatment combinations comprising two life cycles (annual and perennial) and three harvest regimes (single-cut, double-cut and triple-cut) was conducted. The total dry leaf yield was in the range of 1.40–4.11tha−1, and significantly (P≤0.05) highest dry leaf yield was recorded with the perennial stevia under three-cut management system (PH3) but remained statistically at par with PH2 (perennial with two-cut). However, PH2 produced maximum SGs (10.29g plant−1). The results of Principle component analysis reveal that PH2 and PH3 are equally effective and suitable management practices for dry leaf and SGs yield. Thus, our results suggest that the perennial stevia with two-cut management system is suitable for sustaining the stevia production in this condition.

Chemical diversity among different accessions of Origanum vulgare L. ssp. vulgare collected from Central Himalayan region of Uttarakhand, India

The essential oil composition of ten accessions of Origanum vulgare L. ssp. vulgare collected from wild populations of the sub-temperate region of the Central Himalayas and subsequently grown under identical climatic conditions in Uttrakhand state of India were analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) and GC/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). A total of forty-six components representing 92.6–99.8% of the total oil were identified in essential oils isolated from seven different locations. The major constituents of the essential oils were phenolic compounds (13.7–90.5%), represented mainly by thymol (13.7–85.9%) and carvacrol (1.5–63.0%). Two chemotypes were identified: the first, with a prevalence of thymol (IC589087, 85.9%; IC589085, 85.0%) and the second, characterized by the prevalence of carvacrol (IC589079, 63.0%). Results indicated that accessions collected from higher altitude (>3200 m) possessed high thymol content (>85%). This chemical study attempts to provide an insight on the relationship between chemical composition of essential oil and chemotypes in O. vulgare L.

Genetic studies on performance traits of Jersey crossbred cows in sub-temperate region

The evaluation of production performance traits of Jersey crossbred cows is essential for their genetic improvement in sub-temperate region. The present investigation was conducted on 619 records of 265 Jersey crossbred cows maintained at an organized institutional dairy farm in North-West Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh for 29 years (1981–2009). The production traits considered in the present study were 305day lactation milk yield, peak yield, lactation milk yield, lactation length, average milk yield/day of lactation length, average milk yield per day of calving interval. Heritability, genetic and phenotypic correlation coefficients were estimated for these traits. Periods showed significant effect while season had nonsignificant effect on these production traits. Parity had highly significant effect on all the traits except lactation length. These production traits showed significantly higher values in winter except peak yield. These traits did not show a consistent trend across different periods, which are due to change in managemental conditions. In third lactation these traits showed better performance. The heritability estimates of these traits were very low except of peak yield. The genetic associations among these traits were positive and high except association of lactation length with other traits which were negative and low. The phenotypic associations were observed low to high across these traits.

Genetic analysis of performance traits of Jersey cows in sub-temperate environment of Himachal Pradesh, India

The evaluation of production performance of Jersey cows were essential for their genetic improvement in sub-temperate region. The present investigation was conducted on 439 records of 196 Jersey cows maintained at Dairy farm, Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishvavidyalaya, Palampur for 25 years (1984-2008) . The production traits considered for the present study were 305 days lactation milk yield, peak yield, lactation length, average milk yield per day of lactation length and average milk yield per calving interval. Heritability, genetic and phenotypic correlation coefficients were estimated for these traits. Periods showed highly significant effect of periods on these traits while season and parity had highly significant effect except in 305day lactation milk yield and lactation length. These production traits showed significantly higher values in winter seasons except peak yield and lactation length which showed higher values in summer and rainy season respectively. These traits did not showed a consistent trend in different periods. In third lactation these traits showed better performance except lactation length which is higher in second lactation. The heritability estimates of these traits were found very low except 305 day lactation milk yield and peak yield . The genetic associations among these traits were positive and high except association of lactation length with other traits which were negative and low..The phenotypic associations were observed low to high and negative except LMY×MY, LMY×AMY/LL and LMY ×AMY/CI.

Ecohydrologic modeling of crop evapotranspiration in wheat (Triticum-aestivum) at sub-temperate and sub-humid region of India

Abstract: Efficient water management of crop requires accurate irrigation scheduling which, in turn, requires the accurate measurement of crop water requirement. Reference evapotranspiration plays an important role for the determination of water requirements for crops and irrigation scheduling. Various models/approaches varying from empirical to physically base distributed are available for the estimation of reference evapotranspiration. This study identified most suitable reference evapotranspiration model for sub-temperate, sub humid agro-climatic condition using climatic and lysimeter data. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recommended crop coefficient values are modified for the local agro-climatic conditions. The field experiment was conducted in sub-temperate and sub-humid agro-climate of Solan, Himachal Pradesh, India. Actual crop evapotranspiration for different crop growth stages of wheat (Triticum-aestivum) has been obtained from water balance studies using lysimeter set-up. Field observed and computed individual-stage wise crop evapotranspiration values are compared, to identify the most suitable reference evapotranspiration model for computing crop evapotranspiration. Penman Monteith model shows close agreement with observed value with coefficient of determination, standard error estimate and average relative discrepancy values of 0.96, 13.69 and -5.8, respectively. Further, an effort has been made to compare the accuracy of various widely used methods under different climatic conditions. Keywords: crop coefficient, crop evapotranspiration, reference evapotranspiration, lysimeter DOI: 10.3965/j.ijabe.20130604.003 Citation: Kumar R. Ecohydrologic modeling of crop evapotranspiration in wheat (Triticum-aestivum) at sub-temperate and sub-humid region of India. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2013; 6(4): 19－26.

Phosphate Solubilizing Bacterial Diversity From The Rhizospheric Soils of Sub-Temperate Region of Himachal Pradesh

In the present study, a total of 92 phosphate solubilizing bacterial strains were isolated from the rhizospheric soil of Zea mays grown in Solan (H.P), India out of which 11 isolates showed more then 5 mm zone of solubilization. These 11 isolates were subjected for quantification of phosphate solubilization in NBRIP broth. From these 11 strains, isolate MZPSB58 showed highest solubilization (621.49 μg P/ml) followed by isolate MZPSB16 (571.24 μg P/ml) whereas, standard strain of Pseudomonas putida showed 547.89 μg P/ml of phosphate solubilization. These 11 isolates were further tested for the production of IAA, ammonia and siderophore and eight, ten and seven isolates were found to produce these compounds respectively. The isolates MZPSB16 and MZPSB58 produced 74.95 μg/ml, 86.39 μg/ml of IAA respectively, which was significantly higher than the standard strain (62.83 μg/ml). Antifungal activity against Fusarium oxysporum and Rhizoctonia solani was observed only in five isolates out of 11. Isolate MZPSB16 showed more zone of inhibition as compared to isolate MZPSB58. These two isolates were also tested for the production of hydrolytic enzymes when MZPSB58 and MZPSB16 were found positive for chitinase and protease activity but standard strain was found negative. The ACC deaminase activity of isolates MZPSB16 and MZPSB58 were tested and MZPSB16 showed 1.14 μm αKB mg−1 h−1 enzyme activity whereas the isolate MZPSB58 showed 1.82 μm αKB mg−1 h−1 enzyme activity. The standard strain also showed 1.02 μm αKB mg−1 h−1 enzyme activity. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequencing the isolate MZPSB16 was identified as Bacillus subtilis whereas, isolate MZPSB58 was identified as Pseudomonas putida. These native isolates will be more useful as bio-fertilizer and in biological control.

Detection of Prunus necrotic ring spot virus in plum, cherry and almond by serological and molecular techniques from India

Stone fruits are cultivated in the temperate and sub-temperate regions of India. During surveys in stone fruit growing areas, viral symptoms were observed in almond, cherry and plum. These samples were brought to the laboratory for further detection at serological and molecular levels to check the presence of virus. In the present study, incidence of PNRSV is reported on plum (Prunus domestica), almond (Prunus dulcis) and cherry (Prunus avium) using serological and molecular techniques. Coat protein gene of PNRSV was amplified from almond, cherry and plum. This is the first molecular evidence of PNRSV on these stone fruits reported from India.

First report of Ageratum enation virus infecting Crassocephalum crepidioides (Benth.) S. Moore and Ageratum conyzoides L. in India

In October 2009, vein yellowing disease was observed on the weeds Crassocephalum crepidioides and Ageratum conyzoides in a subtemperate region in northern India. Ageratum enation virus (AEV), along with a nanovirus like satellite DNA 1, was found to be associated with both weeds. The isolates had 99% identity with each other and with an isolate of AEV reported from Zinnia elegans from this region. To the best of our knowledge, this report is the first of any begomovirus infection in C. crepidioides in India and the first on AEV infecting C. crepidioides worldwide and A. conyzoides in India.

Agrobacterium-mediated transfer of -Glucoronidase gene (gusA) to water mint (Mentha aquatica L.)

Water mint is a medicinal aromatic perennial herb belonging to the family Labiateae. It is distributed mostly in the temperate and sub-temperate regions of the world. Water mint is valued for its multipurpose uses in the field of pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and flavoring foods. Agrobacterium-mediated gene transformation has yielded a stunning array of transgenic plants with novel properties. Transgenic mint plants with reporter genes have been obtained only in peppermint. Therefore it would be interesting to extend transformation experiments to other mint species such as Water mint. Establishing a reliable direct regeneration system is necessary in plant transformation programs. In vitro direct regeneration of Water mint was obtained from leaf disks. Best results were obtained when explants were cultured onto MS medium supplemented with 4 mg/lit BAP. Transformed plants were obtained by co-cultivation of leaf disks with Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain GV3850 harbouring a binary vector pBI121 that carried E. coli β-glucuronidase as reporter gene and nptII as selective marker gene for kanamycin resistance. The presence and expression of transgenes in transgenics was evaluated by GUS histoenzymatic assay and PCR. An overall transformation frequency of 12% was achieved. Key words: Agrobacterium tumefaciens, Mentha aquatica, transformation, β-glucuronidase gene.